Pipeline Grants Competition

Launched in 2020, RSF’s Pipeline Grants Competition, co-funded with the Economic Mobility and Opportunity program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is one of two early career awards offered at the foundation. This initiative supports early-career scholars and promotes diversity in the social sciences, including racial, ethnic, gender, disciplinary, institutional, and geographic diversity. Since 2020, four rounds of the competition have funded 77 early-career scholars from colleges and universities across the United States. Pipeline grantees are paired with mentors who offer advice on their projects and career development. The competition funds innovative research on economic mobility and access to opportunity in the United States. We are particularly interested in research focused on structural barriers to economic mobility and how individuals, communities and state entities understand, navigate and challenge systemic inequalities. Early-career faculty who have not previously received research support or a visiting fellowship from RSF are eligible to apply.